Friday Favorites: Week of 4/2

Hi friends! Thank you so much for being here and checking in today.

It’s Friday, so it’s time for a new round-up of highlights from the week that ranges from day trips and apps that make life easier to new workout shares and more. We’re covering all of that in a new edition of Friday Favorites below, but first … how is the weather where you are?

After a week of sunshine and warmer temps, New York has cooled down quite a bit with several days of cloudy skies, cold temperatures and rain. April showers bring May flowers, right?

I can’t really complain about it though, knowing that our friends in Michigan saw snow yesterday. (April Fools?) Well, here’s hoping you stay warm out there and that we don’t freeze over here, as all of our winter coats, scarfs and hats are now in storage. Whoops!

Now let’s dive into some faves.

Here’s a look back at the good stuff …

FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 4/2

• a quick trip to Tarrytown, New York

This may sound weird to some, but having a car for a week when you don’t normally have access to one inspires you to do spontaneous things like drive an hour or so for dinner in a new environment.

After a rainy Sunday and weekend filled with typical things like cleaning the apartment, studying and going through clothes and things to switch out in storage (where else to you fit the winter coats and air conditioning units when you don’t need them in the city?), we all wanted to get out and explore.

The weather wasn’t great, but the rain held out enough for us to feel safe to take a drive just an hour north and look around parts of Westchester that we’ve never been to before. We landed at the village of Tarrytown and it was adorable.

It’s located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River and is only about twenty five miles north of Midtown, Manhattan. It didn’t take very long to get to the breath of fresh air that we were looking for outside of our normal busy neighborhoods and tall buildings.

As I mentioned above, it was raining, so we didn’t get out much … but we were still able to enjoy the views from inside the car and on our short walk around Main Street. A lot of the houses nearby were gigantic!

Some shops and restaurants were closed in the downtown area, but we found a shop turned restaurant that was open for indoor seating called Mint Premium Foods.

The menu is full of gourmet food selections that includes housemade soups, unique sandwich pairings, high-end entrées and an extensive beer and cocktail menu. The shop also offers a variety of premium goods and specializes in meats and cheeses. They have unique canned goods from local vendors, a candy bar and just about anything else you might need for your pantry.

The staff was extremely personable and kept bringing Skyler treats throughout the meal. And the environment was cozy and charming. Our time at Mint was top notch and makes it tempting to drive up there again and experience it all over again!

• Emily In Paris

I may be late to the party here, but I finally gave the Netflix series Emily In Paris a watch recently, and I was hooked instantly. It debuted back in October, but I intentionally avoided it thinking that it might make me miss traveling overseas (or anywhere in general) that much more. It did, but it was still well worth the watch and now I can’t wait for the second season premier.

While Emily’s wardrobe isn’t realistically matched to what she actually makes at her marketing job (much like the wardrobe seen in Sex and the City, as it’s the same producers), but it’s fantastic and inspires me to branch out a little in mine.

She’s from Chicago and moves to Paris to provide an American perspective at a sister marketing firm. The show follows her experience and struggles to succeed in the workplace and with the Parisian culture as she searches for love and the right path to go. It’s very relatable in that way, the episodes fly by quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed the watch.

• NOW Foods $250 gift card GIVEAWAY

In case you missed it, there’s a giveaway happening over on the Life In Leggings Instagram page now through Monday! I’m teaming up with NOW Foods to raffle off a $250 gift card to their site, and that’s something to get excited about!

NOW makes high quality, safe products, and also makes them accessible to anyone with a very reasonable price point. They take the word natural and really focus on it with a transparent ingredient list and production atmosphere.

You can check out my visit to their factory for more on this, and they’ve been my go-to for vitamins, supplements, essential oils, pantry staples, pet essentials, and more ever since. You can find NOW Foods products on Amazon and at Whole Foods, but if you’re looking to save 20% off your order, use the code LIFEINLEGGINGS at checkout on their site.

I’d be happy to help steer you to some of my faves!

My latest love has been their line of quinoa noodles. I featured them in the giveaway and used them to make my . They’re made with three simple ingredients: rice, quinoa, and amaranth, and are gluten-free! No allergens, additives, or GMOs, just simple, wholesome goodness that you and your family can enjoy without sacrificing flavor.

Do yourself a favor and give them a try. And make sure to enter the giveaway this weekend for the chance to win a killer gift card!

• *NEW* Full Body Gym Workout

I put a new workout together at the gym this week, and I wanted to share it with you since it was a good one that I will definitely be repeating.

The workout calls for a barbell, bench and dumbbells, with some extras like an ab bench if you have access to one. If you don’t, however, you could still get it done with just a few sets of dumbbells and use them any time I mention the barbell. Sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got! (If you don’t have a bench, you could do the ab lowers on the floor, the chest presses from the floor, complete the rows standing, and use your sofa for the spilt squats.)

The workout is split into three circuits and hits your upper body, lower body and core. Complete each group of exercises as a circuit before moving on to the next one, and remember to be mindful in your weight selections.

Here’s a general rule to follow when picking your weights. If you can’t get up to 12 reps, lower the weight. If you could do more than 15 reps, up the weight, and this is how you know that you’re where you’re supposed to be.⁣

If the workout calls for 12-15 reps, you should be able to complete only 12-15 reps each time!

EXERCISE BREAKDOWN

ab bench leg lowers (or leg lifts) (or from the floor)

dumbbell single arm snatches

barbell dead lifts

barbell chest presses

dumbbell single arm rows

dumbbell single leg biceps curls

dumbbell overhead triceps extensions

dumbbell Bulgarian split squats

dumbbell goblet squats

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Disclaimer: If you’re new to strength training, please make sure that you’re cleared by a doctor before you try this. Modify when needed, take breaks when your body needs them and reach out with any questions!⁣

• Gemini photo clearing app

Whether you are a parent, a blogger, or someone who just takes a lot of photos of anything and everything, the Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner app could be a total game changer for you. It’s not free, but it is well worth the investment to easily clean out photos with a nudge to do so, in my opinion.

I have had the app since January and now spend at least thirty minutes a week cleaning out my photos. Instead of that time only clearing maybe hundreds, this app can clear thousands in a matter of a minute or two.

The dashboard divides everything up into categories like similar photos, duplicates, screenshots, notes, blurred photos and more. It also categorizes videos and displays them according to file size so you can see exactly how much space each one is taking up. It’s really interesting to see!

As someone who takes approximately a million photos of Skyler, my food, my workouts and everything I need for this blog and social media, I don’t think I can go back to not using an app like this to help me quickly sort through everything. It’s worth its weight in gold over and over!

• favorite LIL posts

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Small wins aren’t meant to change the world, but they can change your life with the right mindset. Try these tips on how to celebrate your small wins every day for more motivation, confidence and overall success.

» Cardio, Core & Booty Tabata Workout

Try this Tabata-style bodyweight workout that targets your abs, legs, and gets your heart rate up quickly. No equipment is needed and a Tabata Playlist included!

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And I think that just about does it for today. Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday weekend ahead and Happy Easter!

Stay safe out there!

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*Disclaimer: Friday Favorites posts may contain affiliate links. Also, I am a Beautycounter consultant and love what I do with the company. By using the links provided in this post to order products, you are supporting my business. I always appreciate you!